What was going on when you were born ??

[kokopup]

I do remember the mid to Late 40's but I guess it is probably good not to remember the WW2 days.

I do remember as a child I swallowed a dime and when my mother took me to the Dr. and his only response was to give me a token to go with it.

In 1940, the world was a different place.

There was no Google yet. Or Yahoo. Or Petoftheday, for that matter.

In 1940, the year of your birth, the top selling movie was Pinocchio. People buying the popcorn in the cinema lobby had glazing eyes when looking at the poster.

Remember, that was before there were DVDs. Heck, even before there was VHS. People were indeed watching movies in the cinema, and not downloading them online. Imagine the packed seats, the laughter, the excitement, the novelty. And mostly all of that without 3D computer effects.

In the year 1940, the time when you arrived on this planet, books were still popularly read on paper, not on digital devices. Trees were felled to get the word out. The number one US bestseller of the time was How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. Oh, that's many years ago. Have you read that book? Have you heard of it?

In 1940... Tom and Jerry make their debut in Puss Gets the Boot. The Faroe Islands are occupied by British troops, following the taking over of Denmark by Nazi Germany. Take It or Leave It makes it debut on CBS Radio, with Bob Hawk as host. Canada declares war on Italy. Manuel Ávila Camacho takes office as President of Mexico. Mahatma Gandhi, Indian spiritual non-violence leader writes his second letter to Adolf Hitler addressing him "My friend", requesting him to stop the war Germany had begun. The French government flees to Bordeaux and Paris falls under German occupation. The Olympic Games are suspended due to World War II.

That was the world you were born into. Since then, you and others have changed it.

But it didn't stop the planets from spinning, on and on, year by year. Years in which you would grow bigger, older, smarter, and, if you were lucky, sometimes wiser. Years in which you also lost some things. Possessions got misplaced. Memories faded. Friends parted ways. The best friends, you tried to hold on. This is what counts in life, isn't it?

The 1940s were indeed a special decade. World War II continued, affecting people in Europe, Asia and elsewhere. The post war world encouraged decolonization, new states and governments emerged, while others declared independence, often not without bloodshed. The dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four is published, picturing a totalitarian Big Brother regime controllings its citizens. The NATO gets established. Iceland declares independence Denmark. Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party is victorious in the Chinese Civil War. Mathematics sees the invention of cryptography. Ballistic missiles are created.

Do you remember the movie that was all the rage when you were 15? Rebel Without a Cause. Do you still remember the songs playing on the radio when you were 15? Maybe it was Mr. Sandman by The Chordettes. Were you in love? Who were you in love with, do you remember?

In 1940, 15 years earlier, a long time ago, the year when you were born, the song I'll Never Smile Again by Tommy Dorsey topped the US charts. Do you know the lyrics? Do you know the tune? Sing along.

I'll never smile again
Until I smile at you
I'll never laugh again
What good would it do?
For tears would fill my eyes
My heart would realize
That our romance is through
...

There's a kid outside, shouting, playing. It doesn't care about time. It doesn't know about time. It shouts and it plays and thinks time is forever. You were once that kid.

When you were 9, the movie A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court was playing.

Progress, year after year. Do you wonder where the world is heading towards? The technology available today would have blown your mind in 1940.

He set aside his plow, in early 1940
Said goodbye to his small town
And put on the army green
...

That's from the song God, Family And Country by Craig Morgan.

In 1940, a new character entered the world of comic books: Batman's side-kick, Robin. Bang! Boom! But that's just fiction, right? In the real world, in 1940, Barbara Boxer was born. And Frank Zappa. Richard Pryor, too. And you, of course. Everyone an individual. Everyone special. Everyone taking a different path through life.
It's 2011.

The world is a different place.

What path have you taken?

[slick]

Do you know what was invented in the year you were born? Diet soft drinks. Optical Fiber. The Fusion Bomb.

[Taz_Zoee]

Cindy, what undertone did you pick up????

What was the underlying message?

I got that underlying tone. It was rather offensive in my opinion. It is done in a polite way but if you really READ what they are saying you can definitely detect it.

I'm curious if Michelle and I picked up the same thing.
In my opinion it is slamming people in the world now-a-days for "messing up the world" and things are so much worse now than they were back then.
There was one line that said something wasn't the way it used to be and "you and other people made it that way" or something like that. I can't remember exactly the wording it used. And there were a couple of others underlying references as well that I do not remember.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

There was a flood in the town where I was born. I have pictures of one of my aunts wading across the water on the way to the hospital to see me

I swear, I had nothing to do with that flood.

[kittycats_delight]

I'm curious if Michelle and I picked up the same thing.
In my opinion it is slamming people in the world now-a-days for "messing up the world" and things are so much worse now than they were back then.
There was one line that said something wasn't the way it used to be and "you and other people made it that way" or something like that. I can't remember exactly the wording it used. And there were a couple of others underlying references as well that I do not remember.

I did get that tone of blame. I also got a tone of people now being stupid & unable to survive without the internet. The reference to people reading actual books on paper & the 'have you read 'this' book, do you even know it. Also, I detected a kind of 'nippy' tone about downloading and pirating instead of going to the cinema & buying music. I just didn't like the overall condescending tone to the whole thing. It was written in a rather arrogant manner in my opinion.

[pomtzu]

Yeah - and it was probably written by some oldie like me. However, that's not how I think. Granted, some of the "old stuff" was undeniably good, but I have to admit that I like progress. Without it, our world would be so much smaller and restricted. Without progress, I would never have met so many great people from all over the globe, via this good old computer.

[phesina]

Yeah - and it was probably written by some oldie like me. However, that's not how I think. Granted, some of the "old stuff" was undeniably good, but I have to admit that I like progress. Without it, our world would be so much smaller and restricted. Without progress, I would never have met so many great people from all over the globe, via this good old computer.

Thank you, pomtzu.. This is just the kind of thing I wanted to say. (Comes of being born in 1944, I guess.)

I didn't pick up an air that it was critical of all the changes and the good old days were better... All I got was that things HAVE changed, a great deal. And that's life! As it should be and as it is.

Some time back I went out for a while with this guy who constantly moaned about the good old days and how much better things were then. I finally said: "No painless dentistry then." Boy, did THAT ever shut him up!

[Suki Wingy]

It started out kind of condescending but eventually got around to a sort of, everything exciting was happening when you were born!
Apparently the biggest film was Dances With Wolves.

I laughed at the phrasing of this though!

The technology available today would have blown your mind in 1990. Do you know what was invented in the year you were born? The World Wide Web.

(at CERN!)
(Also I think pretty much everything sort of blew my mind in 1990 because I was just born, you know. )

[Alysser]

Well there's one thing that rings true about mine...Aladdin was the number one grossing film that year. Disney movies HAVE seen better days.

[wombat2u2004]

(Also I think pretty much everything sort of blew my mind in 1990 because I was just born, you know. )

Yes, we all remember that to.
Your first word "gleb".....we were all amazed

[Freedom]

Hmm, I didn't find it condescending at all. Just talking about progress -- the planets keep on spinning as things change.

Aren't they called "books" even if you read them on Kindle? So I don't see anything wrong w/ "have you read this book."

[kittycats_delight]

Hmm, I didn't find it condescending at all. Just talking about progress -- the planets keep on spinning as things change.

Aren't they called "books" even if you read them on Kindle? So I don't see anything wrong w/ "have you read this book."

They are called 'ebooks' if they are made to be read with ereaders or computer etc. But that is not the point. A book is a book is a book. Whether it on paper or not. The fact it was pointedly said books on paper. Also, I don't find anything wrong with them saying 'have you read this book' it is what they say after, 'Do you even know this book?' That's rather rude even in a roundabout way, kind of insinuating that we do NOT know these things. I just didn't particularly appreciate the whole tone of the thing. Like I said though, 'some of the actual facts are quite interesting.'

[Taz_Zoee]

Hmmmm....maybe it was just our year Michelle. We were born the same year. But I saw things as you did. Oh well, I'm not too worried about it. It is still a fun little thing to see all the facts.

[phesina]

I was just wondering what a year-old baby would find was happening the year he or she was born, so I typed in "2010".. and got a popup saying "Ooops, there's no data available yet for your birthyear..."

So I tried it for a two-year-old:
-------->
In 2009, the world was a different place.

In 2009, the year of your birth, the top selling movie was Avatar.

The video game of the day was The Sims 3.

That was the world you were born into. Since then, you and others have changed it.

The Nobel prize for Literature that year went to Herta Müller. The Nobel Peace prize went to Barack Obama. The sensation this created was big. But it didn't stop the planets from spinning, on and on, year by year. Years in which you would grow bigger, older, smarter, and, if you were lucky, sometimes wiser. Years in which you also lost some things. Possessions got misplaced. Memories faded. Friends parted ways. The best friends, you tried to hold on. This is what counts in life, isn't it?

The 2000s were indeed a special decade. Globalization continues to influence the world. Islamist groups are on the rise. The European Union further integrates and expands in Europe. A global financial crisis occurs. The US leadership declares a "War on Terror". The Arab-Israeli conflict continues. The second Congo War takes place. Kosovo gains independence from Serbia. Google becomes the web's most visited site. Other sites on the rise include YouTube, Facebook and MySpace. VHS collections become replaced with DVD. Touchscreen mobile phones gain popularity. Microsoft releases operating system Windows XP. The Chinese launch their first manned space flight, Shenzhou 5. Climate change and global warming become household words, while the global temperature keeps growing. The best-selling album of the decade is the Beatles compilation album. Michael Jackson dies. The Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings films capture the imagination of audiences across the globe. Michael Schumacher wins five F1 World Championships before he retires. Taipei 101 becomes the tallest building in the world.

Progress, year after year. Do you wonder where the world is heading towards?

It's 2011.

The world is a different place.

What path have you taken?
----------

Maybe getting better at learning to walk?

[sana]

In 1997, the world was a different place.

There was no Google yet.

In 1997, the year of your birth, the top selling movie was Titanic. People buying the popcorn in the cinema lobby had glazing eyes when looking at the poster.

People were indeed watching movies in the cinema, and not downloading them online. Imagine the packed seats, the laughter, the excitement, the novelty.

Do you know who won the Oscars that year? The academy award for the best movie went to Titanic. The Oscar for best foreign movie that year went to Character. The top actor was Jack Nicholson for his role as It Gets in As Good. The top actress was Helen Hunt for her role as It Gets in As Good. The best director? James Cameron for Titanic.

In the year 1997, the time when you arrived on this planet, books were still popularly read on paper, not on digital devices. Trees were felled to get the word out. The number one US bestseller of the time was The Runaway Jury by John Grisham. Oh, that's many years ago. Have you read that book? Have you heard of it? Look at the cover!

In 1997... A Delta II rocket carrying a military GPS payload explodes, shortly after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. U.S. President Bill Clinton is inaugurated for his second term. Madeleine Albright becomes the first female US Secretary of State. Pablo Picasso's Tête de Femme is stolen from a London gallery, and recovered a week later. Tara Lipinski, 14, becomes the youngest women's world figure skating champion. Julius Chan resigns as prime minister of Papua New Guinea, ending the Sandline affair. Tasmania becomes the last state in Australia to decriminalize homosexuality. Tony Blair is appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by Elizabeth II. IBM's Deep Blue defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, the first time a computer beats a chess World champion in a match. A military coup in Sierra Leone replaces President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah with Major Johnny Paul Koromah. Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot orders the killing of his defense chief, Son Sen, and 11 of Sen's family members, before Pol Pot flees his northern stronghold. The United States Department of the Treasury unveils a new $50 bill, meant to be more difficult to counterfeit. The remains of Che Guevara are returned to Cuba for burial, alongside some of his comrades. A computer user known as " eci" publishes his Microsoft C source code on a Windows 95 and Windows NT exploit, which later becomes WinNuke. The video game of the day was Dungeon Keeper.

That was the world you were born into. Since then, you and others have changed it.

The Nobel prize for Literature that year went to Dario Fo. The Nobel Peace prize went to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and Jody Williams. The Nobel prize for physics went to Steven Chu, William Daniel Phillips and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji from the United States and France for development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. The sensation this created was big. But it didn't stop the planets from spinning, on and on, year by year. Years in which you would grow bigger, older, smarter, and, if you were lucky, sometimes wiser. Years in which you also lost some things. Possessions got misplaced. Memories faded. Friends parted ways. The best friends, you tried to hold on. This is what counts in life, isn't it?

The 1990s were indeed a special decade. The Nineties saw the beginnings of the World Wide Web, originating at CERN. Email becomes popular. The Soviet Union dissolved. Living standards in East Asia and Europe generally improved. The Cold War ends. Iraqi forces invade Kuwait. A UN coalition force led by the US was sent to the Persian Gulf, and aerial bombing of Iraq began. The Kosovo War took place. The Ethiopian Civil War ends. Dolly, a sheep, is cloned. The Global Positioning System GPS becomes fully operational. Genetically engineered crops are developed for commercial use. Intel develops the Pentium processor. The Java programming language is created. Microsoft released Windows 95. In Los Angeles, riots occur after the police brutality case involving Rodney King. Great Britain hands sovereignty of Hong Kong to China. East Timor breaks away from Indonesian control. US president Bill Clinton was involved in the Lewinsky scandal. Dogme 95 becomes an important artistic movement in European film. Teen soap Beverly Hills 90210 has its long run. Baywatch becomes the most watched show in history. On MTV, reality television makes its beginning. Nelson Mandela is elected president of South Africa. Germany was reunified. The prediction of computer bug Y2K spreads fear.

Do you know what was on the cover of Life that year?

6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... it's 1997. There's TV noise coming from the second floor. Someone turned up the volume way too high. The sun is burning from above. These were different times. The show playing on TV is Sunset Beach . The sun goes down. Someone switches channels. There's Just Shoot Me on now. That's the world you were born in.

Progress, year after year. Do you wonder where the world is heading towards? Do you know what was invented in the year you were born? The Non-mechanical MP3 Digital Audio Player. The Plasma Television.

Southern Minnesota in the year of 1997
There was a great natural light in the sky
And people ran in fear
And I was so concerned with the welfare
Of the woman standing nearest to me
That I didn't notice when it shone on both of us
Then disappeared
...

That's from the song 1997 by Mason Jennings.

In 1997, a new character entered the world of comic books: Zauriel. Bang! Boom! But that's just fiction, right? In the real world, in 1997, Princess Aisha of Jordan was born. And Chloe Moretz. Isabelle Fuhrman, too. And you, of course. Everyone an individual. Everyone special. Everyone taking a different path through life.
It's 2011.

The world is a different place.

What path have you taken?

No pettalk or petoftheday for me